Christmas Island

Rachel Skarsten starred in "The Royal Nanny", one of last year's best Hallmark Christmas movies. She also lit up a sweet alternate reality Hallmark movie called "Timeless Love". Here, she plays a private pilot named Kate who's hired to fly a wealthy family from L. A. to Switzerland. Bad weather (which we never see) forces her to divert the plane to Christmas Island (population 83) in Nova Scotia where she meets Oliver, played by Hallmark All-Star Andrew Walker. He's the air traffic controller who told her to divert to Canada after criticizing her for joking around.

They're at odds initially but, as Kate and the family are forced to stay longer than planned (again, without any obvious bad weather), Kate and Oliver realize they really like each other. So, after 4 life changing days together, Kate quits her job, moves from California to Christmas Island, marries Oliver, and gets a job making Christmas cookies (when she's not volunteering at the pet shelter and planning next year's tree lighting festival).

Just kidding. She doesn't actually quit her job. And Oliver is scared of flying and refuses to fly anywhere. But the question Drew Barrymore asked in the movie "Ever After" ("A bird may love a fish...but where would they live?) is not answered here. We are just asked to enjoy the insta-love between two very appealing and attractive characters without being bothered by any of the pesky details of.... Life.

Fortunately, Skarsten and Walker have lots of chemistry and it's easy to root for them. It's also satisfying to watch the family (comprised of busy parents running a clothing empire, a disgruntled teen, and a boy who still believes in Santa) appreciate spending more time together and experiencing Christmas traditions they haven't valued in recent years.

The actors are all effective and this is the kind of Christmas comfort food that viewers tune in to Hallmark to see. It's also worth noting that, after watching literally hundreds of Hallmark movies, I don't recall one featuring a pilot who falls for an air traffic controller. Something new in a Hallmark movie needs to be acknowledged and appreciated. Unfortunately, my least favorite trope, the "almost kiss" makes yet another unwelcome appearance, no doubt delighting whoever had that on their Hallmark drinking game bingo card.

Most of the Christmas movies so far this year have been embarrassingly poor. Leave it to Andrew Walker to turn that around fast. This is a good, old fashioned, feel good, Christmas movie about family, friends and the unique magic of the Christmas season. Always with Andrew Walker, the magic starts with him. He is an exceptional actor that brings to his roles a down to earth honesty, a genuine caring you can feel throughout the movies he acts in. In Christmas movies, maybe more so. You just want someone like him in your life....and if you are really lucky, during the Christmas season. He is the real deal. His acting seems effortless. Along with him, in this movie, all the other actors, from top to bottom, the father, Christmas Island family, the "stranded lost family"...the town...all bring tangible warmth and caring to their roles. You want to stay in this town. You want to spend Christmas with all of these people. You want Christmas to be like their Christmas. What more could you want from a Christmas movie.

This is one of the best Christmas movies, so far in 2023...and even more ...for the last few years.

Memorable little Christmas romantic movie. Good chemistry between the couple. You could feel a twinge in the heart strings when Oliver was breaking the news to Kate about the weather.

Only gripe is that the production could have paid more attention to the setting. They went all out with the decorations, but forgot about the weather. Christmas Eve in Nova Scotia and you have folks in autumnwear? I know filming was done in August, but it wouldn't have hurt to dress the actors in timeline-appropriate gear. It gets to me when filmmakers don't put in the details that aid the believability of the story.

And it sure doesn't look like the weather is terrible enough to ground all flights for 3 days. I had to suspend my disbelief throughout all the outdoor scenes.

No matter who is co-star is - and there have been some very good ones - Andrew Walker is such a surefire bet for Hallmark. Has he ever made a bad movie for them? I don't think so. He is great here with Rachel Skarsten.

Christmas Island tells the story of a VIP jet pilot (Skarsten's Captain Kate Gabriel) and the family she is flying to Europe for Christmas ending up getting waylaid at Christmas Island in Nova Scotia. Enter Walker's Oliver, playing the town's air traffic controller.

It turns out that Christmas Island is like your standard small town that you know well from multiple Hallmark movies, so all the old tropes are there...just on an island. Still, Walker's performance makes the cliches seem less cliched.

Aside from the inevitable romance between Kate and Oliver - their chemistry is good, so that's a box ticked - there is a good message in this movie about time spent with family during the holidays.

I'm always on board for an Andrew Walker holiday romcom (My Christmas Family Tree) and this one doesn't disappoint. Kate (Rachel Skarsten) is a pilot who's just been given a shot at her dream job, piloting a wealthy family to Switzerland. Poor weather requires them to make an unexpected stop at a Nova Scotia town called Christmas Island, where air traffic controller Oliver (Walker) and his father, sister and nephew reside. It is here that we find out more about what everyone's deal is.

What I enjoyed most was that it wasn't strictly the usual plot line of will they or won't they. Sure, there was that, but the secondary storylines of the wealthy couple (Jefferson Brown and Kate Drummond), their two children and Oliver's family were just as interesting, to me. It was great seeing Good Witch's Peter MacNeil and Virgin River's Lauren Hammersley in supporting roles. This movie was a really good ensemble effort, which I think Hallmark does well and should do more often. The storylines were interesting and the cast was very good. Highly recommended.